Sunday, February 16, 2014

"Outside
of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to
read."

~ Groucho Marx~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Looking to start a new project? You might find help
HERE at StoryJumper.

HERE is a
list of the 100 Most Important Things To Know About Your Character.

Click HERE to read a wonderful post on challenging
your characters from the Editor’s Blog.

Last week I offered an ARC of A Hundred Horses to one of my lucky readers, and this week's winner is ... wait for it ... Michael G-G! WooHoo! Michael is a writer and puts out two blogs! Wow. I can hardly keep up with one. You can find his writing HERE and HERE. Check it out. Congratulations, Michael. I will be getting the book out to you this week.

I have a very special post today. I was honored to be contacted by a member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, Barbara Krasner, and asked to review one of the winning books and to interview the author. Barbara knows I love good children's books, so I was thrilled to be a tiny part of the Sydney Taylor Awards. You can find out more about the awards by clicking HERE. They have set up a blog tour for each of the winners on the Association of Jewish Libraries blog, and you can find all the links by clicking HERE.

I was so lucky to be assigned a most charming picture book. Stones for Grandpa was written by Renee Londner and illustrated beautifully by Martha Aviles. This book deals with a really difficult subject, that of losing a close relative, but it is handled in the best possible way.

A young boy has lost his grandfather. They had been very close, and this is a most difficult time for him. It has been a year since Grandpa died, but the boy still misses him. His mother explains the first year is the hardest. The boy thinks about how it had been the first time he had so many important happenings without Grandpa. He thinks about building their first sukkah without Grandpa's help, and their first Hanukkah without Grandpa there to spin his lucky dreidel and more. But Mommy has good advice -- whenever they feel sad, they should think of Grandpa when he was laughing. With the help of a memory box the boy's mother gives to him, he recalls many wonderful, happy times with his grandfather, easing his loss. The ritual of unveiling Grandpa's stone is another step for the boy in this journey of learning to go on without his beloved grandfather.

The book is written in first person from the boy's point of view, and is very deftly done. Few picture books can pull that trick off, but Renee Londner does it masterfully. I recommend this book for any family who suffers a loss. Children can learn much from it, and so can the rest of us. And now I would like you to get to know Renee Londner better. She was kind enough to give me an interview.

Q.
Was it your intention all along that it
should be a boy or did the editor or artist make that

Renee Londner

decision?

A.
I had planned for the child to be a boy since some of the story is based on real
events. I actually have a photo of one of my grandsons wearing “Duke’s” cowboy
hat. The hat is so big and my grandson so little that the hat practically
covers his face.

Q.
How did you come to the story?

A.
The story was written after the death of my husband. Many of the anecdotes are based
on my family although we did not celebrate the holidays to the extent portrayed
in my story.

Q.
How many revisions?

A.
I did have an early draft that didn’t quite work. Once I decided to follow the year
of firsts it all fell into place. In fact, “The Year of Firsts” was my working
title. From my own experience, I knew how difficult it can be going through the
first holiday, birthday, anniversary, etc. I decided to present the story for
children through the celebration of the Jewish holidays/festivals thinking it
would be a good way for kids from Jewish backgrounds to relate.

Q.
Did you have any interaction with your illustrator?

A.
Martha and I never met. She was chosen by my publisher and I was sent an
example of her art work. But we had no
interaction. However, I was thrilled with her sensitive interpretation of my
story. From the rose on the dedication
page, to Duke’s name on a drawing, and the frogs on the end page. And the
wonderful wink the boy gives as he releases the frog makes the ending so
tender. Martha and I eventually “met” via email.

Q.
Is writing what you studied for and planned as your career?

A.
My career was as a teacher. I have a degree in Special Education and regular
elementary grades. But I have always enjoyed writing and one of my poems was
published in Junior Scholastic Magazine when I was in 6th grade. When
I retired from teaching I began to devote more time to writing. Although most
of what I write is children’s stories, I also regularly write and publish my
haiku poetry.

Q.
Do you work with a critique group or do you work entirely alone?

A.
It sounds like a cliché but I’m never lonely when writing; I have my characters
for company. But I absolutely love the friendship and feedback from my critique
group(s).

Q.
Have there been classes or workshops you’ve been to that were helpful?

A.
The first class I took was in writing for magazines. That led to my writing for
Columbia (MD) Magazine for two years. I
do attend local conferences and writing seminars and they always energize me.

Q.
Any profound words of wisdom?

A.
I believe it is important to have a passion for your subject and to research
thoroughly, even for fiction. I do not believe it is necessary to write only
about what you know as long as you immerse yourself in your subject. “The Singing Stones,” my story about the
Great Wall of China, was published in Spider Magazine in January of 2012, yet I’m
not Chinese and I’ve never been to China.

Q.
What has winning the Sydney Taylor Book Honor meant to you?

A. Since Stones
for Grandpa is such a personal story, this recognition of my book is
particularly meaningful. I am grateful for the honor because I believe it will
draw the attention of more readers to my story, which is a celebration of life.
And hopefully, it can make the grieving process easier for children.

Thank you, Renee, for sharing your thoughts with my readers. I hope they will all have a chance to read your wonderful book. And my thanks to Barbara Krasner for including me in this celebration of the Sydney Taylor Award Honorees. Please leave a comment or question for Renee. I'm sure she will be checking in this week.

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About Me

Thanks for dropping by. I am a writer who works almost entirely on children's books, stories, poems, and articles, including two completed novels. I live in Antelope, CA, near Sacramento-- crazy hot in the summer, cold and wet in the winter, and stunning in the spring and fall. I spent many years teaching high school English and am in love with words, books, theatre, and related subjects. I regularly review children's and young adult books for the San Francisco and Manhattan Book Reviews. I would love to hear from you and what interests you. I have had work published in Highlights and High Five Magazines as well as a rhyming story in the anthology, Fifty Funny Poems for Children published in the U.K., and a memoir included in a Christmas anthology from Harlequin, A Miracle Under the Christmas Tree. Please leave a comment or question or poem.